Of the multitude of ways the previous Awami League regime silenced its detractors, perhaps nothing was as callously utilized as the Digital Security Act (DSA) later rebranded to the Cyber Security Act (CSA). While digital security is indeed vital for any nation in a world more reliant on technology than ever before, what we have had are little more than draconian means to silence people.
To that end, it is a shame that we continue to see cases being filed under the CSA in this supposedly new and liberated Bangladesh; earlier this week, a case was filed against a 52-year-old man in Chittagong under the CSA for allegedly insulting the Quran and posting a social media video targeting Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, Information Adviser Nahid Islam, and the army chief.
That courts continue to accept cases filed under it, and that it continues to be a tool to silence people for expressing themselves is not just a shame. It is a tragedy.
With the uprising that led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League, we anticipated that this would be a nation where, after many years, there would be freedom of speech and expression, where people would not be policed for expressing their opinions.
Yet, this latest case filed and accepted tells us a different story - that people are still not free to have an opinion that goes against what is considered acceptable. It cannot be a crime to voice displeasure. A nation devolves into a farce of a democracy, as we saw during the 15 year-long reign of the Awami League, when dissent is silenced.
We hope that the advisers, those who have pledged to build a better Bangladesh, are taking note. If we are serious about building a nation where people are free to express themselves, where democracy prevails, then we must scrap draconian laws such as the CSA for good. There is no alternative.
To that end, it is a shame that we continue to see cases being filed under the CSA in this supposedly new and liberated Bangladesh; earlier this week, a case was filed against a 52-year-old man in Chittagong under the CSA for allegedly insulting the Quran and posting a social media video targeting Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, Information Adviser Nahid Islam, and the army chief.
That courts continue to accept cases filed under it, and that it continues to be a tool to silence people for expressing themselves is not just a shame. It is a tragedy.
With the uprising that led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and the Awami League, we anticipated that this would be a nation where, after many years, there would be freedom of speech and expression, where people would not be policed for expressing their opinions.
Yet, this latest case filed and accepted tells us a different story - that people are still not free to have an opinion that goes against what is considered acceptable. It cannot be a crime to voice displeasure. A nation devolves into a farce of a democracy, as we saw during the 15 year-long reign of the Awami League, when dissent is silenced.
We hope that the advisers, those who have pledged to build a better Bangladesh, are taking note. If we are serious about building a nation where people are free to express themselves, where democracy prevails, then we must scrap draconian laws such as the CSA for good. There is no alternative.
